ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell women's tennis team will kick off Ivy League play this weekend following a midweek tuneup against Central New York foe Le Moyne as part of a two-match week to close out the March schedule. The Big Red will welcome the Dolphins to Reis Tennis Center on Wednesday, March 25 at 5 p.m. before hitting the road to battle Columbia on Saturday, March 28 at 1 p.m. at the Philip & Cheryl Milstein Family Tennis Center.
The Big Red sports a 6-6 record on the season and finished sixth at the ECAC Indoor Championships, including a 4-3 victory over Dartmouth and a tight 4-2 loss to Columbia. Cornell also owns wins over Buffalo (5-2) and UConn (4-3) this spring. The Big Red led in the third set in three unfinished matches in its most recent match despite falling to Rutgers 4-0 this past Monday.
Interim Carl H. Meinig '31 Head Coach of Women's Tennis
Spencer Furman returns a balanced lineup that gained valuable experience during a competitive fall season, highlighted by strong individual performances at the ITA Northeast Regional Championships and Ivy League Conference Masters events.
Sophomore
Sage Loudon (11-11) and junior
Michelle Ryndin (9-8) have played in the top spot in the lineup with junior
Victoria Zhao (10-9), sophomore Andrea Martinez de los Rios (13-6) and freshman
Dylan Gelber (14-7) also mainstays in the lineup. Martinez de los Rios has a team-high seven-match win streak entering the week.
Martina Marica (3-9),
Emma Baker (4-12) and
Tanya Fan (5-6) have also earned time in dual matches so far this spring.
Le Moyne is 1-8 on the season following a 5-2 victory over Binghamton on Senior Day this past Sunday, handing Jameson Keppeler his first head coaching victory with the women's program. Paula Casares paces the team with nine wins while playing primarily third and fourth singles. The top of the order has been held down by Emma Sanchez Jimenez (6-12) and No. 1 and Ella Fernando (5-11) at No. 2. The Big Red swept the Dolphins in the first-ever matchup between the teams a year ago in Ithaca.
The Lions, ranked No. 51 nationally in the latest ITA rankings, enter Ivy play with a 10-3 overall record (7-0 at home) under the direction of head coach Ilene Weintraub. Gayathri Krishnan sports a 21-6 record while playing in the top two spots on the ladder, while Sophia Wang is 9-7 while playing No. 2. Cornell will be attempting to snap a four-match losing skid against the Lions following a 4-2 defeat earlier this winter at the ECAC Indoor Championships. Columbia leads the all-time series 26-22.
